Dark Quest
by Goldenrod
Summary: Darcius confronts Kit and the Toa Metru on their way back to Metru Nui and steals the Toa's powers.
1. Stolen Powers

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit, Darcius, Tehreisha, and Darcius' monsters (for the most part).

* * *

Toa Gali stood on the beach, watching the sun set on the waters of the ocean. She could hardly believe it, yet it made sense. Not only were the Turaga of Mata Nui once Toa, but Kit was also involved in whatever happened in the far off past, no doubt because of her trip through that strange warp. It sent her back into the past and onto the island city of Metru Nui—the very same island that was recently uncovered. 'No wonder the Turaga always seemed to have that look in their eyes when she arrived,' the Water Toa thought to herself, remembering the look of remembrance Nokama had when she brought the girl to the village. Shortly afterward, her brother Toa told her of the same thing; every single one of the elders, in their own way, seemed to appear and act like they knew Kit. And, for good reason—to them, it was like an old friend had returned. Realizing how late it was, Gali set out for the Kini Nui, where Turaga Vakama promised the night before to share another tale of the Toa Metru and their human ally.

* * *

The dark figure sat on a rock that was fashioned into the form of a throne, his eyes closed in concentration. It had not been that long ago that he decided to make the vast cavern his base of operations on this world and, using his powers, changed it to suit his liking. He could feel them, sense them; they were near, getting closer. Suddenly, Darcius opened his eyes and stood up; it was time to strike.

* * *

_She was in what appeared to be an underground village of some sort. Frightened Onu-Matoran were running and screaming in a panic. Suddenly, a red figure stood in front of her. He was a Toa, but there was something very wrong with him. He had a nasty looking green scratch on his cheek and his eyes burned with anger. She pleaded to him to stop, but the crazed Toa was deaf to her and he charged, the twin swords in his hands blazing. All the while, she could barely hear a voice calling her name._

* * *

Kit's eyes flashed open and she would've sat up if not for a firm grip on her shoulder. She relaxed her breathing as she looked around, finding Whenua right next to her. "Are you ok?" the Toa Metru of Earth asked, a little concerned.

Kit nodded, "I think so. What's going on?"

"We're heading out," the Toa answered and helped the girl to her feet.

Before them, the other Toa were getting ready to move once again. Ever since they left the realm of the plant creature that called itself Karzahni, the team had been traveling through the tunnels to get back to Metru Nui, and during that time, Kit had been having strange dreams. Although, she was beginning to suspect that they were not just mere dreams, but her lost memories that were beginning to resurface. 'Then why can't I remember the names of the faces I see in them!' she thought, a bit frustrated. She had to admit that she was getting a little tired of someone or something looking familiar, but not being able to identify it. The annoyance was instantly replaced with a feeling of fear that made her heart clench and she stopped in her tracks. She didn't know why, but something suddenly didn't feel right about the tunnel.

Onewa, who was walking near the rear, was the first to notice Kit wasn't following. "Hey, kid, c'mon," he called, but the girl didn't budge. The Toa of Stone then noticed the anxious look on her face and how her eyes seemed to dart this way and that. "What's the matter?" he asked as he approached her.

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" she asked. When the Toa didn't answer or shook their heads, she elaborated, "Something's coming, and it's not a Rahi, nor friendly. I can feel it."

Before anyone could say anything, Nuju was suddenly blasted forward and would've fallen if Vakama hadn't caught him. The Toa of Ice staggered to his feet, stunned but otherwise unharmed. "Knock knock," said a voice further up the tunnel, and a man dressed in a black suit with a black cape showed himself.

"Acquaintance-friend of yours?" asked Matau.

"I really hope not," Kit replied.

"Who are you? What do want?" demanded Vakama.

"The name's Darcius," the man answered, "and I want you, or, rather, what makes you all Toa."

The Toa Metru brandished their weapons, ready for battle. "Sorry, but we're in a bit of a hurry, so you've got two choices," said Onewa. "Either get out of our way of your own free will, or we'll mow you down."

Darcius chuckled, "I'm flattered."

Vakama and Nuju both shot out a fireball and a streak of ice. Darcius, however, just casually swatted the fireball away like it was nothing more than an annoying insect, but flinched just a tiny bit when the ice hit his hand, freezing it. At first, it seemed to the heroes that they had the upper hand. But, Darcius lifted his hand in front of him, as if he wanted them to see something, and, just like that, the ice coating shattered into hundreds of pieces when he clenched it into a fist. The Toa and Kit could only gawk at the sight as Darcius said, "But, hardly impressed. Now it's my turn." Reaching out his left hand, he let loose bolts of purple energy, but the group dispersed and scattered all over the tunnel. The Toa Metru fought with everything they had, elemental and mask powers alike, but, though they were able to hit him bad enough to cause pain, Darcius just kept on fighting. Seeing an opportunity, Matau transformed into a Muaka and pounced, pinning the man to the ground. "Not bad," Darcius growled as he struggled against the Air Toa. "But, it'll take far more than that to defeat me," and he blasted Matau with just enough power to get him off, the shock forcing Matau to return to normal. Darcius then stood above the Toa of Air and released some more energy bolts that connected with the Toa's chest. Immediately, Matau could feel that something was not only different, but wrong as well. Unlike the bolts Darcius had been using earlier these weren't meant to harm or kill, but it felt like something was being sucked out of his body. At the same time, for some odd reason, he couldn't move, as if his body was frozen in place. A strange weakness followed shortly after and it hit him.

"My Toa-power, what are you doing?" he asked.

"You and the others will learn soon enough," was Darcius' only reply as he smirked and continued his assault.

Just when he began to feel something in his hand, he turned to a cry of, "No!", and found himself blasted to the ground by a yellowish-gold energy burst, allowing Matau a chance to get to his feet.

Growling, he got up only to find himself surprised and confused when he located his attacker. 'A human?' he thought when he saw Kit in her Toa armor suit. He never saw any human characters in this realm; since when did they exist? 'No matter,' he said to himself, he could take her easily, but that would have to wait. He had more important things to worry about. He launched his bolts at the girl, but Kit was ready and dodged while she fired some more energy attacks. Darcius needed all of his reflexes to either dodge or block them. He had to admit, this girl was good. But, not good enough, it seemed, when he managed to land a hit, sending her to the wall. Kit fell to the ground, dazed and, for a brief moment the Toa looked to her with concern. In doing so, they gave Darcius the opening he needed and he launched the same bolts he used on Matau at all six of them. In an instant, they were paralyzed and were getting weaker and weaker by the minute, their Toa power being drained away. Kit, recovered from her slight knock out, lifted her head and gasped at the sight in front of her. All of the Toa began to glow and, painfully, she struggled to get up, but her movements were slow and shaky.

* * *

Vakama slowly opened his eyes, his blurry vision slowly clearing. "Finally, you're awake," said a familiar voice. He turned his head to find Kit sitting near him. "I was beginning to wonder. Are you ok?"

"I think so," he replied as he sat up. It was then he noticed something was different. "Kit, what happened? You've . . . grown."

With a lop-sided grin, as if she didn't want to smile but couldn't help it, she picked up a piece of ice, a remnant of their fight with Darcius, and answered, "No, Vakama. I haven't grown, you shrunk." Kit held up the ice piece and, when Vakama saw his reflection, he gasped and grabbed it. In the ice he saw himself—as a Matoran.

After he felt his mask and looked down at himself countless times, he looked around the tunnel and found the others, starting to stir, in the same state as him. Once the others were awake and were over the initial shock of their present condition, Kit explained that after he changed them into their Matoran forms she tried to stop Darcius, but he shimmered away before she could. "The question now is what are we going to do about it?" asked Whenua.

"Easy-simple," said Matau, "we get our Toa-hero powers back."

"If that battle was any indication, I'm afraid that's going to be far easier said than done," pointed out Nuju.

"Plus, we don't even know what he did with our powers, or if we can get them back," said Nokama.

"I think I know where they are," said Kit. "Now that I think about it, I remember seeing some little colored balls in Darcius' hands after you guys were fully transformed. Each one was your respectful color."

"And I'll bet my mask that those were our powers," said Onewa, "given some kind physical form."

"But, what would he want our powers in the first place?" asked Vakama.

"I don't know," Nuju admitted, "and that's what worries me the most."

"And, how are we going to handle Darcius if we have to confront him again?" Nokama asked. "Our powers are gone; we're only Matoran now, and Kit can't fight him by herself; he's too powerful."

"But we can't just quit. Not when there are still hundreds of Matoran back at our city counting on us save them," said Onewa.

"Onewa's right," agreed Kit. "You guys may be Matoran now, but you're still the Toa you were at heart. That's what you are, you've already proven that, and no one can truly take that away."

The others looked at her in wonder, then to each other, and back at her. Then, simultaneously, they nodded their heads with determination in their eyes. They still had a job to do, and they were going to finish it—starting with getting their powers back.

* * *

Later, the group decided to make camp somewhere in the tunnels. However, sleep wasn't coming easy to Kit. Looking at the Matoran, they seemed so vulnerable and helpless compared to the proud and powerful Toa they were. Hearing some quiet scuffling, she asked, "Hey, Matau, you asleep?"

"No, this is me speak-talking in my sleep," the former Toa of Air grumbled.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Kit guessed.

The green Matoran sat up and said, "I keep hope-thinking that this is some kind of bad vision-dream and I'm gonna wake up and things are going to be as they should be—the others and me as Toa-heroes and taller than you."

"I understand what you mean," Kit smiled in agreement and sympathy.

Of all of them, Matau was taking their current situation the hardest, considering, from what she heard, he was the most excited about becoming a Toa. Sighing, the Matoran lay back down and was fast asleep before Kit knew it. 'Where do we go from here?' the girl thought to herself with a frown. The Matoran at Metru Nui still had to be rescued, but Vakama and the others had to get their powers back, and none of them had any idea what that Darcius guy did with them. Thinking of him, Kit realized that Darcius actually seemed familiar. Just like Makuta, she had the feeling she'd seen him before, but something was different. The picture of him in her mind appeared a bit . . . older.

* * *

_Kit walked down some stairs and toward a kitchen, where the same brown-haired woman, girl with brown hair, and man sat at the table. Only, they all seemed a bit younger than they appeared in earlier visions, and the woman's hair was longer. She took her seat between the girl and man and, unintentionally, she saw her reflection in a window. It was her, but younger, smaller, and her hair was past her shoulders._

* * *

She opened her eyes and now she knew for certain. Those weren't dreams she'd been having lately, they were memories. Seeing that the Toa-Matoran were also awakening she got up and suggested they just start walking. When Nuju protested, she said, "If you've got any better ideas on how we're going to get your powers back, let's hear them." The former Toa of Ice, however, didn't have any, and relented. And so, the group started walking. After a while, they came to a fork and paused. The left tunnel seemed ok, but the right one looked darker than usual and forbidding.

"What do you think?" asked Whenua.

Kit just suggested they go down the right tunnel, believing it was the most likely route to find Darcius when Vakama's mind was suddenly lost in a vision. He went down the tunnel to the left. Every now and then, he thought he heard something lurking in the shadows and had the very uncomfortable feeling he was being watched. Terrible beasts of all shapes and sizes with teeth that would rip him to shreds, huge wings, claws reaching out to grab him. Finally, he saw what appeared to be some kind of base, with Darcius standing on the front, and the vision ended. "What did you see?" asked Kit.

"We have to go down the left tunnel," he announced, and they proceeded.

* * *

Meanwhile, at his base, Darcius gazed at the last orb, admiring his work, before placing it down on a pedestal. As humans of any realm say, draining the Toa Metru of their Toa powers was like 'taking candy from a baby'. That reminded him of the girl with the Toa and a puzzled expression formed on his face; an answer as to why she was there still eluded him. With a shrug, he let the matter go; now that he was successful in taking what he came for, he could begin putting his master plan to work and wait for the chaos to start. He smiled at the thought; he could hardly wait.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way, fire-spitter?" Onewa asked. "It seems awfully peaceful for a route to a madman's lair to me."

"For the fifth time, I'm sure," Vakama confirmed, sounding slightly irritated. "This is exactly what I saw in my vision. It starts getting bad as we travel farther." The Po-Matoran just 'hrmphed' to himself and folded his arms across his chest.

Kit rolled her eyes; it was becoming clear that losing their powers was getting to all of the Matoran, some more than others, thus putting a strain on the team. 'I sure hope _I_ never lose my powers,' she commented to herself as she took out the crystal she wore around her neck, 'else we'll be in real trouble.' Sometime later, they decided to call it a day and made camp. Nuju and Matau volunteered to take turns keeping watch. To Kit's private relief, she had been watching over the others over the past two nights. She got as comfortable as she could and fell right to fast asleep.

* * *

_Kit saw a light blue colored glow float toward her. A tiny ball circled her twice before it exploded. When the glare was gone, in its place was a beautiful woman dressed in flowing light blue garments, long dark brown hair pulled into a high and tight ponytail, and a veil hid the lower half of her face. Though the woman looked familiar, her name escaped Kit's memory. She slightly growled, getting very tired of this. The woman gently took the girl's chin in her hand and slightly lifted her head so her eyes met hers. Kit felt a soothing feeling of tranquility, as if the stranger was flowing her calmness to her. "Be at peace, Kit," the woman said in a warped, yet beautiful, and familiar, voice. "It will come."_

_"How do you know my name?" Kit asked, bewildered._

_Unfortunately, before the woman could answer, she disappeared and the scene changed. She was in a dark cavern when she spotted a Ta-Matoran. He was tied to what was probably once a stalagmite and struggling to free himself. Kit felt she was supposed to know him, but his name remained at the tip of her tongue, unable to bring it out. With a shrug, she went to help him. Suddenly, a mighty roar filled the cavern and she discovered a dragon-like creature was in there with them. Again, she felt she saw this creature before, but couldn't recall where. Teeth bared, it lunged at her._

* * *

Kit bolted up with a scream, waking up the Matoran and alerting Nuju, who remained at guard. "Are you alright?" Nokama asked. Kit nodded in response upon feeling her hands on her shoulders and, breathing hard, willed herself to calm down. That had been the most frightening recollection yet.

"What happened?" asked Matau as he rubbed his eyes.

"Kit had a nightmare, that's all," Vakama answered.

"Boy, the strain of the journey must really be getting to you, too," Onewa guessed.

"No, this isn't the first time," Kit shook her head. "I've had these dreams before. They started shortly after we left Karzahni's lair. Except, and I don't know exactly how I know this, they're not dreams. I think they're my lost memories starting to come back as dreams. Oh, that poor Matoran . . ."

"What do you mean?" asked Whenua.

"In the memory, there was a Ta-Matoran in trouble," the girl explained. "He and I were being attacked by some kind of dragon monster. I couldn't, and still can't remember his name, but I felt like I knew him somehow."

The Matoran looked at each other with looks of disbelief, wonder, and, to some degree, horror. Just what kind of a past did Kit really have, and did they, even Kit, really want to find out? Seeing their worried expressions, Kit reassured them that not all of the memories were bad, like the one of the blue-clothed woman. Now that everyone had calmed down, Nuju insisted that they get back to sleep with another long day ahead of them.


	2. Power Orbs

Another day passed without much incident. Or was it hours? It was hard to tell whether it was light or dark out in a tunnel. "Can we please take a rest-break?" asked Matau, who was starting to lag behind. "My feet hurt."

Kit looked back at the group. She was fine and preferred to keep going, but she could tell that the others were beginning to tire. Figuring that since they managed to get as far as they did, she conceded. "Alright, we'll take a ten minute break, and then we keep going." All of the former Toa sat or slumped down, thankful for the rest.

Although, after five minutes had passed, Whenua got up. "I'm going to go a little further to see what I can see," he said.

"Ok, but don't go too far," said Vakama. "Stay where we can see you."

The Onu-Matoran nodded and walked a little ways down the tunnel, his green eyes glowing like small beacons. Suddenly, he disappeared with a shout. The others were on their feet in an instant, with Kit in the lead. She saw the hole in the ground almost too late and flailed her arms as she teetered on the edge. She would've fallen if Matau and Nokama hadn't grabbed her legs, helping her regain her balance. While Nuju attempted to use his scope, Vakama called to the missing Matoran. "Whenua! Whenua, are you alright?"

"Check it out," came the reply, and the others looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

Kit landed on her feet with a grunt and found Whenua standing off to her right and the rest followed. "Are you ok, Whenua?" Nokama asked. The former Toa of Earth nodded an affirmative and pointed down the path. At the end of the tunnel, there seemed to be some kind of aura that made the exit look dark and treacherous, and there was a sense of evil that they could all feel.

"Do we continue that way?" Whenua asked Vakama.

The Ta-Matoran nodded, somehow knowing that they were going the way his vision showed. Matau, however, was still pretty worn out, so Kit let him climb on to her back and carried him. As they walked toward what the girl personally dubbed the 'Forbidden Zone', Kit found herself really hoping they wouldn't have to make camp in there; she did not like the feel of it at all, and for good reason—they were getting really close to wherever Darcius was. It was because of that that the team felt like they had to keep their eyes and ears open and their legs ready to run. Though they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, they all had the suspicion that something was watching them from the shadows ahead, which Kit bet wouldn't be far from the truth if that were the case. Finally, they came to the exit where a vast cavern loomed before them. A chill ran through their bodies as they entered. "And I thought the power Makuta wielded was bad," Kit commented.

"Guys, come here," Onewa called from a cliff.

The others joined him and saw a sight below that made them stop in their tracks. There, in the middle of a small expanse of ground below, a ring of pedestals was set, and off to the side of the expanse was a deep chasm that emanated an orange light. Using his scope, Nuju determined that atop the pedestals were the orbs that contained their Toa powers. Although, what bothered them the most was, other than the spiked terrain that surrounded the level area, there didn't seem to be anything to stop anyone or anything from taking the orbs.

"What do you think?" asked Whenua, even though he already knew the answer.

"We don't have a choice," Nokama pointed out. "If we're going to reclaim our powers, we have to go down there."

Kit let Matau slide off her back as she gazed down. "Nuju, can you scan the area and see if you can spot anything?" she asked.

The Ko-Matoran's scope whirred as he zoomed in his vision and examined the surrounding area very carefully. A few moments later, he reported, "There's nothing to hinder our progress toward the orbs."

"Then let's go," said Vakama.

* * *

Darcius stiffened for a brief moment, his senses on the alert. He could feel the presence of the former Toa Metru and the girl that accompanied them nearby. 'So, they've come to reclaim their powers, aye?' he said to himself, slightly surprised. Then, his lips formed a little smirk; they were not a threat, not anymore.

* * *

Despite the luck they'd had so far at getting across the jagged landscape, Kit and the Matoran tried not to get their hopes up. Getting into the open area was one thing, grabbing the stolen powers and getting out, alive and in one piece, would more than likely be another. Suddenly, Nuju, who was at the head of the group at the moment, heard something and stopped, causing Matau to run into him so hard they fell to the ground. The others, though, were able to stop themselves before they could create a pile-up. "Hey, why don't you shout-call your stops--" growled Matau before Nuju's hand covered his mouth.

"Quiet!" he said in a whisper, and gestured for the others to get back around some rocks. Though they complied, they wondered what the white Matoran was so afraid of.

That is, until they saw some kind of bat-like monster show up. Nokama had to stifle a gasp to keep from being heard. The monster, unaware of the intruders, crawled its way up one of the rocks and took to the air, disappearing into a tunnel in the far wall of the cavern. Nuju gave the ok that the coast was clear and the group continued their way on the rocky ground. Finally, after dodging and hiding from more creatures that lurked around, they came to the leveled-out ground and ran for the ring. Just when he was about a few feet away from the pedestals, Matau found himself thrown back by something and crashing into Vakama. "What in the name of--" Onewa started as he and the others came to a halt.

Nokama picked up a rock and threw it. As it bounced off, the shield shimmered purple for a moment. "A force field," she realized. "Guess Darcius didn't leave them unprotected after all."

'Now how are we going to get to the orbs?' Kit thought, frustrated. Then, she had an idea and hoped it would work. "Vakama, do you have a weakening disk?" she asked the Ta-Matoran.

Vakama handed the disk to her, asking, "What's it for?"

"Just a hunch," the girl replied, and walked a little way's. 'Please have this work?' she silently prayed as she prepared to launch the disc like a Frisbee.

With all of her strength and control, she let the disk fly and ran after it. The disk's weakening power activated just before it hit the force field, its power slightly deteriorated. Kit immediately followed with a powered up double-punch. The shield shattered under the combined powers of the disk and Kit's fists, and the team seized their chance. Unfortunately, they just managed to grab the black one, Whenua's orb, when purple bolts flew over Kit's head, who just barely dodged them.

"I must admit, I'm rather surprised that you managed to down my shield," Darcius announced as he stepped into view, "but, this is the farthest you go."

"We'll just see about that," Kit replied defiantly.

"Kit, this is not the time to be goading him," Nuju said through clenched teeth, remembering what happened with Nidhiki.

"Who's goading?" the girl asked, and Darcius unleashed a fury of bolts.

After dodging them, Kit gave the orb to Whenua, switched into her Toa armor suit, and unleashed an energy ball, Dragonball-style. Though Darcius was able to put up his hands to block it, the golden-yellowish ball still sent him back, his feet forming small trenches in the ground. Minutes that felt like forever passed, and Kit was still fighting Darcius by herself. "C'mon Whenua," she called to the Onu-Matoran. "Get powered up and give me a hand, will ya?"

"I'm trying," Whenua responded, "but nothing's happening."

Due to her confusion, Kit almost didn't raise an energy shield in time to save herself from Darcius' hand, which was glowing purple. "Hand me back the orb, child, and I'll make both yours and your friends' deaths quick and painless," he tried to barter.

"Forget it!" Kit declared, and forced him back with a shove.

Their eyes met, and it was then that Darcius saw something strange, yet familiar. "Those eyes, that spark in them and as clear as crystal," he said quietly, then, his eyes widened as the realization hit him like a fist. "Are you a First One?!" A battle cry as she charged at him with her hand glowing was Kit's answer. She thrust her hand forward to punch him, but Darcius simply grabbed it in his own hand to stop it. "This changes everything," he mused. Seeing Whenua, he threw the girl to the side and launched his energy bolts at the Onu-Matoran. With no thinking involved, Kit reflexively fired a ball to intercept the bolts. It worked, but it also blew the Matoran into the backwall and some rocks buried him.

"Whenua!" Nokama called out.

"No!" Kit shouted, not sure of which was worse, the chance that the team was now short one Toa, or the fact that she was partially responsible.

Hearing Darcius' laugh, she turned her full attention to him. "Try laughing this off," she growled as she formed her hand into a gun-like shape. A narrow, concentrated beam of energy shot from her index finger like a bullet and it connected with Darcius' shoulder. With a cry of extreme pain, he went down on his knees, clutching his wound. Kit, meanwhile, gaped at her handiwork; what she did was totally unplanned, yet it worked. "Cool," she said, then a rumbling sound was heard. The pile of rocks exploded, and emerging from it was--

"Whenua-brother!" Matau exclaimed. "You're bright-alive, and a Toa-hero again!"

"I am?" the black Toa asked.

"See for yourself," Kit said, tossing him the blue orb.

Whenua caught it and discovered that the others were indeed right when he saw his reflection. Seeing that Darcius was beginning to get back on his feet, the group decided that there would never be a better time to make tracks.

"But the other power-orbs," said Matau as he stole another glance at the green one.

"We'll have to come back for them later," Whenua said and he picked up the Le-Matoran.

Darcius, due to his wound, could only watch as the team ran off with another orb in their possession. "Stop them!" he shouted. Almost immediately, a chorus of screeches sounded from the tunnels in the wall and about a dozen bat monsters poured out. They had heard their master's command both verbally and mentally and searched for the intruders. Finally, one spotted them among the zone of jagged rocks and called to its brethren. Within moments, the creatures descended on the heroes like a black cloud.

* * *

"Keep moving!" Kit called to the others, seeing the monsters coming. However, they weren't fast enough and the creatures were upon them. Nokama gave out a cry when one plucked her up in its talons and turned in the direction of the open area. Matau, thinking quickly, jumped off as high as he could from Whenua's shoulders and hitched a ride on its back. Then, he wound a length of rope that he borrowed out of the Earth Toa's pack into the monster's mouth and, as if it were a bridle, he pulled back hard on both ends. The creature felt the uncomfortable pressure on the corners of its mouth immediately and reared its head back with a roar. While Matau tried to stay on and maintain the pressure, the creature tried to stay aloft and get him off of its back while keeping its grip on its Ga-Matoran captive.

"Put her down," the Le-Matoran rider commanded, "and I'll let you free-go."

When the bat monster didn't comply and tried to fly away, he forced it back by applying more pressure. This caused the creature to rear up in a vertical position, thus causing Matau to slide off his seat and hold onto the ends of the rope to keep from falling. This, in turn, applied even more pressure on the creature's jaws and it roared in agony as the pain became intense enough to make it let go of Nokama. Matau let go and grabbed hold of her as they fell, and turned his back toward the ground just before they hit, taking the brunt of the fall. Though the fall wasn't very high, it still wasn't comfortable to have someone else falling on top of you either, as the Le-Matoran discovered.

Once she regained her senses, Nokama got off of him and said, "Thanks, Matau."

"You're much-welcome," Matau replied, slightly winded, as he sat up holding his stomach.

Meanwhile, the bat monster that he just wrestled with managed to spit out the rope in its mouth and glared at the green Matoran. With its teeth bared, it dove with the intention of ripping the little one to shreds. However, an energy ball knocked it off course and, instead, sent it for a crash landing to the ground. Kit and Whenua worked both together and individually to fend off the monsters and protect their friends; Kit with her energy attacks and Whenua with his earth powers. "Whenua, try your mask power," Kit suggested. The Toa of Earth activated his mask and the beam of light shone right in the faces of the creatures, blinding them. While the monsters closed their eyes and shook their heads in an effort to get their eyesight back to normal, Whenua and Kit nodded to each other. Whenua made hands of earth sprout out of the ground and used them to grab some of the creatures and fling them away, while Kit activated her rocket pack and sent the rest of them packing with powered up punches. Once it was confirmed that everyone was present and ok, the group went to the only place they could think to go to—the tunnel entrance to the cavern.

* * *

Darcius frowned. His bat creatures came back empty-handed and temporarily blinded; they had let the girl and the Toa Metru get away and with a power orb. However, he would deal with them later; he had more important matters to tend to right now. For one thing, he knew they would, sooner or later, make another attempt to get more, if not the rest, of the orbs. That meant he would have to take some steps to make sure that never happened. Second, the young human now troubled him more than ever. As much as he didn't want to believe it, it was the only possible solution. She was of the First Universe, he was sure of it. Still, it left some questions: How did she get here? Why was she here? And, where did she get that kind of power? A thought crossed his mind about some certain stories he had heard, but he brushed it aside. They were just stories, no more, no less.


	3. Memories Regained

"Well, at least we managed to get one more," Onewa said as he looked upon the blue orb in Nokama's hands.

"Great," the Ga-Matoran agreed, "but now how do I get my powers back inside of me?"

Whenua thought about it, then told Kit to apply just a small fraction of her powers on the orb. When asked why, he said, "Just a hunch." Shrugging her shoulders, Kit placed her hands onto the orb, and carefully directed just enough power until goldish-yellow ribbons swirled with the blue. "Now, press it against your chest, Nokama," the Earth Toa instructed. Nokama did as he said and, incredibly, the orb just seemed to sink into her chest until it completely disappeared. She glowed a gentle blue light, feeling the power spread throughout her body and reenergizing her as she grew back into a Toa.

After the others got over their surprise, Vakama asked Whenua, "How did you know that would work?"

"I remembered that before the explosion I was a Matoran, but when I managed to dig myself out I was a Toa," Whenua explained. "So, I figured that what happened was just before the explosion occurred, the ball just brushed my orb, making it 'wake up', so to speak. And, when I was forced back into the wall, the orb just got absorbed into me and the metamorphosis started just the second before I was buried."

"Now, what I want to know is, how are we going to go about getting the remaining four orbs back?" asked Nuju.

Everyone had to admit Nuju raised a good point. After that last attempt, there would be no way that Darcius would let them get the remaining orbs that easy a second time. Whether he moved them to a different location or not, he would no doubt have them guarded. "We'll find a way," said Nokama, "but, for now, I think we should get some rest." And so, with the two Toa the group had standing guard, they rested.

* * *

_She was walking through a jungle until she came to a clearing. There was a huge stone face with a circular sand pit at its base. At the sand pit were seated many Matoran, six Toa, and six Turaga. One of the Toa, the green one, waved to her, as if inviting her to join them. As Kit came closer, she couldn't take her mind's eye off of the Turaga. The look in their eyes, their gentle smiles, their masks; they all just seemed familiar somehow. Then, the scene changed. She seemed to be in a tube of some sort. She couldn't tell if she was standing still, floating, or flying, but all around, images streaked past faster than the eye could follow. Suddenly, the images seemed to slow down for some reason, and, in them, she saw Lhikan, as a Toa. He was riding his airboard and delivering little packages to Vakama and the others, and they were all Matoran. Then, without warning, she started screaming in complete pain as white bolts struck her. Were they lightning bolts, or some kind of energy attack? She didn't know, and, quite frankly, didn't care at the moment. The pain was so intense, she couldn't even think, only scream and put her hands to her head._

* * *

Kit sat up in a flash, breathing hard and eyes wide; that was the most intense memory-dream yet. "Are you ok, Kit?" asked a voice. It was Nokama, who knelt next to her. Kit responded with a nod.

"Another one of those dreams, huh?" Whenua asked from his post nearby, and Kit nodded again.

* * *

Later, the team made their way back toward the open area. Earlier, Nuju determined that the orbs were still on the pedestals in the center. However, they were now guarded by five bat monsters. They moved as quietly and carefully as they could while maintaining visual contact with each other. Once she was on the border, Nokama signaled for her companions to come closer. "Ok, we all know what to do, right?" asked Vakama.

"Leave those freak shows to Whenua, Nokama, and me," responded Kit.

"And, once the shield's down and while we keep those things busy," confirmed Whenua, "you and the others grab the orbs, and then we're out of here."

"Let's go," said Nokama, and she and Whenua and Kit charged.

The creatures reacted as expected—they took to the sky and attacked. Once the Toa of Water's water jets downed them, the Earth Toa used his command over earth to restrain them to the ground. "Now's our chance," said Kit, and she and the two Toa combined their powers against the shield. However, the barrier held fast, in fact, it seemed stronger than before.

"Look out!" Matau called to them.

Kit looked behind to find that the bat monsters were almost free of their restraints. One managed to liberate itself and dove, but the three ducked. When it came back for another try, Kit was ready for it. At the last possible minute, she used an energy beam to pin it against the shield. Purple energy not only rippled on the barrier's surface, but it also sparked when the monster's back made contact, shocking it. It roared in excruciating pain, unable to move. Kit thought she saw something happen, and said to Nokama and Whenua, "Pin the others." It was difficult, but they managed to do it; the rest of the winged pack was all held down against the shield, and the Water and Earth Toa and girl resumed what they started. This time, with multiple targets, the shield's defense against their combined attack was weakened. Just like before, it shattered, and the beasts fell to the ground, unconscious. Vakama and the Matoran were there before anyone of their friends could beckon them. "C'mon, let's go," said Kit as they gathered up the remaining orbs. "The sooner we get out of here, the better I'll like it."

However, they only took a few strides when they found Darcius blocking their path, "Going somewhere?" Then, he turned his attention to the bat monsters, who were slowly getting up. "Some guards you turned out to be," he said to them. "I practically entrusted those orbs to you, and you couldn't even keep the little ones away from them."

Stretching out his hand, he let loose a flurry of energy bolts straight at one of the pack members. The creature was struck and it roared. Kit and her friends watched in disbelief as the monster virtually disintegrated in front of their very eyes. When it was over, all that remained was a burn mark where the creature once was. "You . . . destroyed one of your own creatures?" Nokama asked, horrified.

"I can't help it if it didn't get out of the way in time," he replied.

"Boy, was I wrong about you," said Onewa. Seeing Darcius' confused expression, he elaborated, "You're not crazy, you're psycho."

Angered, Darcius released more bolts, but Kit shielded the Po-Matoran. She glared at the man, ready for battle. However, the girl ended up letting out a startled yelp when Onewa led her by the hand down one of the tunnels, following the others. Darcius tried to stop them, but they were gone. "Get them!" he roared.

* * *

Elsewhere, a low growl was emitted as two red eyes snapped open. The creature heard its master's command and could sense it, could smell it—the ones that the master wanted were in the tunnels. It charged out of the den, followed by a few more like it. The hunt had begun.

* * *

Meanwhile, once they stopped, Kit immediately got to work on energizing the orbs. Nuju had just returned to his Toa state when a howl was heard. When the team discovered the source, they found creatures that looked like they came from a nightmare. They appeared to be big dogs that were half demon and their red eyes glowed like beacons in the darkness. Too tired from their running, Kit and the Toa stood their ground and the dog monsters attacked. The vicious beasts soon proved to be very persistent; in spite of the heroes' best efforts, they just kept coming. One cornered Nokama, but before it could do any real damage, a beam of ice turned it into a frozen statue. Before she could thank the Toa of Ice, she spotted another one of the monsters heading right for him. Her warning came too late, and Nuju found himself tackled to the ground. The Ice Toa cried out in pain when the beast's maw clamped down hard onto his shoulder. It growled as it shook and jerked its head back and forth, its teeth tearing at the Toa's shoulder. Desperately, Nuju somehow managed to jam his crystal spike into the creature's mouth, making it let go. The monster snarled, snapping its jaws as it fought to get to the Toa's throat. Just when the beast was about to overpower the Toa of Ice, Whenua grabbed it by the nape of its neck and flank and threw it into its packmate. In an instant, they were back on their feet, shook themselves, and were ready for more. "We can knock them down alright," said Vakama as one of the dog monsters fell to the ground with a yelp, courtesy of one of his fire balls. "But, how do we get them to _stay_ down?"

"There are too many of them," Whenua pointed out. "Kit, energize Matau and Onewa's orbs so they can help us."

"Can't, got my only two hands full," the girl responded as she held off another one of the beasts.

At last, the team began to make some progress when some of the monsters lay wherever they had fallen, out cold. One of the few remaining demonic mutts pounced, but Kit countered with an energy blast, sending it into the wall. She wasn't given much of a chance to celebrate, though, since the last one grabbed her rocket pack from behind and threw her into the air. The girl crashed and tumbled down to the floor, unconscious. Before the monster could finish what it started, Whenua used his earth power to bury it under a pile of rocks. Nokama knelt beside her human friend, "Kit, are you ok?"

* * *

_Images, both from her dreams and those she hadn't yet seen, flashed in Kit's subconscious mind. She saw the house; her family; her friends; more images of her life in the real world; the time she was brought to the Bionicle dimension; the Toa Nuva; her Matoran friends; the Turaga; Tehreisha; the Makuta; her first encounter with Darcius and her first battle with him; the Mask of Light and the Toa of Light; her jumping into a warp when Darcius tried to escape into it; the images she saw in the warp as she traveled back in time and how overwhelmed she felt at the sight, to see so much happening at once; and, lastly, the incredible and excruciating pain she endured when those strange bolts attacked her. The whole time, she heard herself saying the names of the people she saw in her flashbacks; it was as if a wall had come crumbling down. 'The faces, the names, the people and the places . . . I remember now!"_

* * *

"I remember!" Kit affirmed when she suddenly woke up, startling the Toa and remaining two Matoran.

"Remember what, kid?" asked Onewa.

"Everything," the girl answered. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

Following their human companion, the group left the area behind them. And, it was a good thing they left when they did—the dog monsters were beginning to stir. Once they had recovered their wits, the beasts followed the scent of their prey down the twists of the tunnel. So focused they were on the hunt, they didn't notice that there was another tunnel entrance missing. Whenua breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the monsters rush past; he had just managed to barricade the opening with the surrounding soil and rock. Nokama carefully tended to Nuju's wound while the Toa of Ice held still. "Since Kit, Onewa, and Matau left a trail for them to follow, those things should be kept busy for a while," Vakama noted. Turning to the girl, the Toa of Fire asked Kit what she meant back in the other part of the tunnels.

"You guys might want to get comfortable," she suggested. "A lot of this is going to take some explaining." The Toa and Matoran did so and waited for her to begin. There was a short pause as Kit weighed the possibilities, then she finally said, "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm going to tell it to you straight. Not only am I from a different realm, but I'm also from your future."

Kit went on to explain just about everything she knew. She told the Toa Metru of her homeworld; the recently discovered island they christened Mata Nui; Tehreisha; her being named the Bionicle realm's Protector; her adventures on their new home; Darcius; and the time warp. "There were these images, little snippets, of certain events all around as I traveled back in time," said Kit. "That's why I know Lhikan when he was a Toa, I saw him delivering your Toa Stones. Then, something happened; the next thing I know these white lightning-like bolts strike from nowhere and I'm screaming in pain. The pain was mostly centered in my head, which is why I believe those bolts must've done something to my memory. Then, for a bit, everything just goes blank, then I regain my senses in the Great Temple back at Metru Nui, and you all know the rest." As she waited for a response, she felt a little guilty. Because she had to stay true to the 'code' as a Protector, she didn't tell them about them being Turaga or the Toa Nuva. Nuju was about to speak when there was a thud against the barrier. Angry barks and growls could be heard on the other side. "Sounds like they caught on to my little trick," Kit realized, and there was another thud.

This time, a few rocks were dislodged. "And, that didn't sound good," Nokama noted nervously. In an instant, Whenua activated his earthshock drills on the ceiling and in minutes had a hole big enough for everyone to fit through.

"Hurry, up here!" he urged.

The group didn't need to be told twice and they all scrambled up. One of the monster dogs broke through just in time to see Whenua's legs dangling as he pulled himself up. It leaped, grabbed hold of the Earth Toa's ankle, and pulled hard. Whenua, meanwhile, winced as he felt the beast's teeth bite into his armor and slid with the added weight. "Guys, help!" he called, trying to hold on to the ground as the creature tugged at his leg. Vakama and Nokama had hold of his arms immediately, but Nuju discovered that the strain hurt his shoulder too much. Spotting an opening, Kit launched an energy ball and the beast fell to the ground with a yelp, stunned. The Toa of Earth was hauled up and he assured his friends that he could still run; slight scratches on his armor were the only evidence of the attack. Finally, with Nuju's scope to guide them, the team found their way back where they had started. Before they got far, though, Nokama got on top of Vakama, sending him to the ground just before a flurry of purple energy bolts would've struck him.

They turned to face Darcius, whose eyes gleamed with rage and hatred. "I've grown tired of these games," he growled. "Surrender and give me those two orbs."

"You want them? Come and claim them," Vakama challenged, only to regret it a moment later when Darcius unleashed his power in its full fury.

The bolts struck so fast and hard, no one was able to dodge them and they were sent to the ground. Even Kit's and Nuju's shields of energy and ice didn't save them for long. While the girl and the Toa Metru lay dazed, Darcius approached them and eyed the young human, who looked up at him with defiance in her eyes. But, there was something else too. Whereas earlier, her eyes seemed to have a slight sense of emptiness and confusion, they were now filled with fullness and enlightenment, and a thought struck him. If she really was a First One, that left the question about her powers. First Ones weren't supposed to have powers of the sort she had. Where and how did she get them? On top of that, being a First One meant she could be swayed, right? Swayed to _either_ side. "So, you really are a First One, aren't you?" he asked.

"If you mean I'm from the real world, yes I am," she replied.

"How did you get here and how did you get such powers?"

"I found this crystal around my neck when I arrived. As for how I got here, Tehreisha brought me and named me this world's Protector."

"The Gate Guardian?" he inquired, then burst out laughing. "Do you honestly take me for a fool? The powers I can believe, but the Guardian actually taking the time to bring a young First One into a different realm? Ha!" A pause followed before Darcius continued. "You see child, that's the thing with you First Ones. Though you do tend to be one way or another, depending on certain circumstances, your souls can still be persuaded to switching from light to dark and vice-versa. It's that nature that makes you so unpredictable, a wildcard, and the Gate Guardian would never risk that."

"Then, I guess she must've been desperate to entrust 'wildcards' with the well-being of different realms, huh?" Kit countered.

"Well, whether you choose to tell me the truth or not, it matters not," said Darcius, receiving a confused look from the girl. Seeing this, Darcius said, "I'll be direct, why not join me?" Kit, Onewa, Matau, and the Toa Metru looked at him with surprised expressions. "Why waste your talents on such futile goals when you can use them in any way you wish?" he continued. "With both of our powers combined, nothing would be able to stop us and you could reap the rewards you deserve; you and I would make an unbeatable team. Come over to my side, Kit, and I'll show what _real_ power is and what you can accomplish with it."

Kit couldn't believe it, but she was actually taking her time with her answer. Why? She couldn't actually be considering Darcius' proposal, could she? As he waited, Darcius gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, in a flash, she twisted his arm behind his back, making him grunt in pain, then pushed him away with an energy ball. "If you think that I'm actually going to join forces with you after what you've done, you're crazy," she stated.

"Then, it seems it's time I do what I should've done in the first place," Darcius growled as he stood up, his hands sparking with energy waiting to be released.

Kit and the Toa prepared themselves, but before Darcius could launch his attack, Onewa jumped and grabbed his cape. The Po-Matoran's weight pulled the knot against his neck, choking him, and made him lean back. Matau, then, followed up with tackling Darcius to the floor and the two Matoran wrestled on top of him. The girl and the Toa made a break for it, only to find that Onewa and Matau weren't following. Whenua called to them, but they kept struggling with the man. "You guys go on ahead," Onewa called back. "We'll keep him busy and catch up to you later." The Toa of Water was about to protest, but an urgent shout from Matau silenced her and Kit had grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

Darcius just managed to fight his way to his feet when the team disappeared amongst the rocks. "Get off of me, you little fools," he demanded as he thrashed against the Matoran.

Onewa was on his shoulders, his hands covering his eyes, while Matau held on and pulled at his leg, trying to keep him from walking. Finally, he grabbed hold of the Po-Matoran's shoulders and threw him off and gave the Le-Matoran a sharp kick. The two lay where they fell, stunned, as Darcius approached them. The Matoran regained their senses just in time to find Darcius towering over them. Before they could react, he had hold of them in the blink of an eye, Onewa by the throat, though not squeezing, and Matau by the leg. He glared at the two as they struggled to free themselves. "I had thought reverting you back to your Matoran forms would make you nothing more than a minor pestilence. But, it seems that it has made you even more annoying than you ever were as Toa." He started walking to an edge as he continued, "I ought to feed you to the fires below." Sure enough, far down in the crevasse, a river of lava flowed and boiled. The sound of the lava flow made the river sound like a real beast, practically begging for the former Toa to be fed to it. Immediately and instinctively, the two Matoran doubled their efforts, but Darcius' grip was too strong. Then, he moved away from the edge and said, "Wait a minute, I've got a better idea." Onewa and Matau did not like the look of the smile on his face at all and involuntarily gulped.


	4. Repercussions

Back in the present at Le-Koro, Kongu walked toward Turaga Matau's hut and knocked on the door. When a reply didn't come, he tried again, "Turaga, may I come in?" Still nothing and he opened the door a crack. At first, there didn't seem to be any sign of the Turaga until he opened it a little more. There, in the center of the hut lay Matau. Kongu was beside him in an instant, "Turaga Matau, are you fine-alright?" When he didn't get a response, he carefully rolled him onto his back. His heartlight was on, but his eyes were dark. Kongu tried to rouse him with a gentle shake, but to no avail. Suddenly, the elder's body warped and, for a brief moment, his armor, mask, and stature changed into a more Matoran-like form before it returned to normal. The Le-Matoran didn't know what to make of the sight, but he did know one thing for certain—it couldn't mean anything good.

* * *

At the desert of Po-Wahi, Toa Pohatu was on his way back to his village when he spotted a curious sight. It was Hewkii waving his arms in the air. Pohatu grinned and, believing the Po-Matoran was welcoming him back to his home region, he offered a friendly wave back. He was about to get back on his way when he noticed something. Hewkii seemed to be waving in a frantic fashion. 'He's not waving a welcome,' he realized. 'He's trying to wave me down, get my attention.' Using his Mask of Power, he stood before the Matoran faster than one could blink, causing Hewkii to fall onto his back out of surprise. "Sorry, Hewkii, didn't mean to startle you," he apologized as he helped the little one up. "What's the trouble?"

"It's Turaga Onewa. Something's wrong with him," Hewkii answered as he directed the Toa of Stone to the Turaga, who was lying on the ground in the shade of the rock wall.

"What happened?" asked the Stone Toa concernedly.

"I don't know, he just collapsed. One minute he was fine, the next I found him as if he'd been struck down."

"We need to get him to the village, then."

With the Turaga in his arms and Hewkii on his back, the Toa of Stone used his mask power of speed to get to the village as fast as he could move. Once they got him in his hut and Pohatu set him on his bed, the Turaga's body warped into a Matoran form for a brief moment, then he was back to normal. Toa and Matoran looked at each other, both at a loss of what to make of what they saw.

Later that night, Vakama made his way to the Amaja Circle at the Kini Nui. Normally, over the past few nights, he'd been carrying the burden of sharing the tales of Metru Nui on his shoulders as if it were an actual load. Now, he carried an extra burden in his mind, a burden known as worry. Earlier that day, he had received word that two of his brother Turaga had been stricken with something that couldn't be diagnosed—something that had kept them unconscious and made their bodies occasionally change into their Matoran forms. He sent word to the other Turaga and asked if they'd been experiencing anything of the sort. Needless to say, he was relieved to find that they had not. However, they did note that over the last few days, they did go through some strange and unpredictable bouts of dizziness and feeling something happening to them. Vakama not only experienced those symptoms himself, but he also had a theory as to why it happened, and Matau and Onewa seemed to be in the final stage of the affliction. If he had to hazard a guess, and he did, what was happening was, back in the past, the two had not yet been returned to their Toa stature after having their powers stolen, and if that wasn't corrected soon, he didn't even want to fathom the possibilities. "Please, Kit, hurry," he silently pleaded as if the girl were right next to him.

* * *

Onewa and Matau sat in the shield prison in which Darcius had placed them about ten minutes ago. At least, Onewa was sitting, watching his friend continuously trying to ram his way out, but to no avail. He was flung back every time. "Do you have to keep doing that?" asked Onewa, a little annoyed.

"At least, until you come up with a bright-brilliant idea on how to get us out of here," Matau retorted. "Or until the others come back."

Onewa sighed, reminding himself that since his power over stone was gone, the only thing he could think of was to try to dig their way out through the floor. However, the ground was quite hard and they had nothing with which to dig but their bare hands, and, knowing Darcius, they couldn't wait for the others to rescue them. Seeing that they had no other choice, he told the Le-Matoran to start digging. Matau was a bit skeptical, and didn't like the idea very much, but he conceded and helped Onewa. About five more minutes passed and they hadn't made much progress. The hole they made was only a few inches deep and their fingers were beginning to ache really badly. Matau was about to say something when he thought he saw some movement among the spiked rocks. Before he could inform Onewa, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard. The two immediately halted their efforts in time to find Darcius walking toward them.

"Alright, who's first?" he asked. His hand reached down and through the shield, as if it wasn't even there. "How about you?"

He grabbed Onewa by the arm and yanked him up. For a brief moment, the Po-Matoran felt pain surge through his body as he went through the shield, then it felt like every part of him just went numb and dead. Matau frantically pounded and pushed at the shield as Darcius walked a little ways. Then, he threw the Matoran to the ground held his palm up, and curved his fingers. A small black tendril popped out of the ground and wound itself around Onewa's wrists, tying his hands behind his back. While Onewa tried to free himself, Darcius commanded, "Come." Then, right before the Po-Matoran's eyes, a gigantic dragon-like creature materialized. It was a deep blue and had slitted dark red eyes. A shield adorned its head like a crown and wings, that Onewa guessed, were they to unfold, would stretch to twice the length of its body, and it had a long, whip-like tail.

The beast looked at the little one before it, questioningly looked to Darcius, who nodded in answer, then eyed the Po-Matoran like a predator that had spotted prey. At first, Onewa wanted to run, but remembered that he didn't run as a Toa if he could help it, and he wasn't about to start now. So, he stood his ground and held his head high, refusing to give this creature the satisfaction of seeing him run in fear. The beast's expression changed to puzzlement; why wasn't this one running? Wasn't it afraid? It gave off as much of a shrug as a dragon could give. If it wasn't going to run, then it would make it. Rearing its head back, it opened its mouth and lunged, preparing to swallow Onewa in one gulp. Onewa kept perfectly still until the last possible second and pitched forward. The creature spit out the small amount of dirt and rock it bit into and looked around in confusion. Where did the little one go? It looked underneath itself just in time to spot Onewa running for Darcius and the shield-cage Matau was still trapped in. It lifted a forepaw, blocked the Po-Matoran's path, and slid him back to it. Once the sliding stopped, Onewa tried again, only to have the beast block his way. Now, whenever Onewa tried to gain some distance from the monster, it would either place a foot in front of him, or scoop him back toward it. Frustrating as it was, Onewa decided to try one more time and broke for it when he got a chance. The dragon-like monster noticed him at it again, reached out with its mouth and, with careful precision, grabbed hold of the bonds with its sharp teeth. Try as he might, even digging his feet into the ground, Onewa couldn't pull away as the creature dragged him back. This happened two more times before Onewa came up with a plan. The next time the draconic-creature reached out for him, he ducked and rolled just before it grabbed hold. Not prepared for this maneuver at all, the monster missed its target, and Onewa got back up and continued running. Twice, the beast tried to stop him, twice Onewa dodged it. The Matoran was about to think he had finally outsmarted the beast when he fell to the floor and found himself being dragged back again. He turned onto his side to find that the creature had wrapped its tail around his ankle. Desperate, he tried kicking at it with his free leg, but his efforts didn't even faze the creature, as if it couldn't feel it. When the tail let go, he was about to get back on his feet when he was suddenly lifted up and found himself dangling in the air. The dragon-monster then started tossing its head, with Onewa in tow. When it stopped, Onewa made a mental note that he never wanted to go through something like that again and hoped the monster wouldn't start again; he was feeling a little sick right now. Thankfully, he got over it quickly and he glared at the dragon, "Put me down, you overgrown tunneler." The beast released its hold, letting Onewa take a thirty foot plunge to the ground. The Matoran hit the ground hard on his frontside, forcing the wind out of him. As he lay there breathing harsh gasps, Onewa, for some reason, wondered why the thing hadn't just eaten him already. Even with his hands unbound, he would still not put up anything worth being called a fight and there was nothing to stop it from just swallowing him whole. When the answer came to him, he wished it hadn't. He had seen this behavior before when he saw alitter of three Muaka cubs messing with a stone rat under the watchful eye of their parent. After much playful swatting, batting, pouncing, and pulling on the rat's tail, thecubs finally killed the rodent andfought over the scrawny meal. 'That's exactly what this dragon is doing,' he said to himself. 'It's playing with its food before it eats it.' All of this time, it was just toying with him until it would decide that it had enough fun.

The monster nudged him onto his back with its nose and, after eyeing the helpless Matoran for a minute, decided it was snack time. A very, very, very light snack, even with the green one, but a snack nonetheless. It was about to scoop Onewa up into its mouth when Darcius slammed into its face, startling it. Onewa turned to see his friends by the shield just before Nuju used his Mask of Telekinesis to bring him to them. Vakama used just enough fire to carefully burn away Onewa's bond. Quickly, Kit handed him his power orb, all charged and ready to go. Onewa didn't need to be told twice, absorbed his powers, and was back to his normal Toa self. "Hey, what about mine?" Matau asked from inside the cage.

"Don't worry, Matau, we haven't forgotten," Whenua chuckled as he, Kit, Vakama, and Onewa got to work on downing the shield.

Within moments, he was free, but before Kit could hand him his orb, Darcius launched an attack. The group had to split in half to keep from being hit, if not worse. The beast roared, stood on its hindlegs, and the cavern trembled violently when it brought it itself down, sending rock and stalactites raining down on the team. 'Never a Kanohi Hau around when you need one,' Kit thought to herself as she and the five Toa Metru moved quickly to deal with assault. Vakama melted them with his fire, Nuju moved them away with his mask, Nokama shot them away with water jets, Whenua and Onewa did their best to guide them away, and Kit blasted them into smithereens with her energy powers. When it was over, they were still standing, and the monster lunged at Whenua, its teeth bared. Onewa, though, leaped and slashed one of his proto pitons across its left eye. Immediately, it roared in pain and reared its head back. The Toa of Stone noticed that, when it turned its attention to him, there was a nasty cut from its brow to just beneath its eye socket. He could sense the creature's hatred for him emanating from those red eyes.

Nokama noticed that the only thing that was keeping the creature from flying was the low ceiling. 'Probably a good thing too,' she said to herself. 'I wouldn't want to face that thing when it was able to fly.'

"Leave," Darcius commanded the dragon-monster. "Your bulk is too great, you'd only get in the way. You'd bring the cavern down on all of us and flying is your specialty, which you can't do here." The beast looked to him and reluctantly bowed its head. As much as it wanted to stay and fight and kill the one responsible for its wound, it dared not disobey its master, and it shimmered away from sight. Now, the real battle was on.

Fireballs, water jets, rocks and boulders, ice darts and telekinetically hurled projectiles, waves of earth, energy balls and beams, and energy bolts were suddenly everywhere in the cavern as the two sides fought. Finding himself attacked on all sides, Darcius let loose his most powerful flurry of bolts yet, sending Nokama, Nuju, Whenua, Matau and Kit into unconsciousness. "Five down, two to go," Darcius mused aloud. "And then, this world will be mine."

"Don't count all of your sculptures before they're carved," Onewa warned as he charged toward the man.

Darcius, however, curved up his fingers, and four vine-like shadows shot out of the ground. They entwined themselves around the Stone Toa's wrists and ankles, causing him to lose his grip on his weapons, lifted him up, then held him to the ground. Onewa struggled and pulled as hard as he could, but his bonds held tight and wouldn't budge in the least. He glanced up with defiance in his eyes when Darcius loomed over him, warming up the finishing blow.

Suddenly, Darcius found himself clouted hard and sent to the ground. "What the--" he wondered as he rubbed his cheek, only to receive his answer when Vakama became visible.

"I guess it's just you and me, Darcius," said the Toa of Fire.

When Darcius heard some moaning to the side, an idea struck him. Faster than Vakama could register what happened, Darcius had hold of Matau and shimmered out of sight, only to reappear on the other side of the canyon, holding the Le-Matoran by the ankle over the edge. "Vakama, help me!" Matau called out.

Vakama sprinted closer to the ledge and readied his disk launcher when Darcius said, "Try anything, Toa of Fire, and your little friend takes a plunge into the fiery river below."

Still, Vakama took aim, sure that his disk would strike before Darcius could carry out his threat. And yet, his arm shook and doubt showed in his eyes; he just couldn't do it, it was too risky. On top of that, the scene before him made him remember that awful time when he was taken hostage and Lhikan was taken away. Only, this time, he was in Lhikan's place. And so, he did the exact same thing the former guardian of his city did, he signaled his surrender by throwing down his tool. Seeing this, Darcius again curved his fingers, thus summoning multiple vine-like shadows to restrain the Fire Toa. They pulled him down to his knees, tied his hands behind him, wrapped around his upper arms, and one pulled back a little on his neck. "Fool," Darcius sneered, "even with all of you put together you couldn't defeat me. Now, you and the others will share this one's fate." And, he released his hold on Matau, who plunged toward the river of lava below.

"Noooooooo!" Vakama cried, and he struggled hard to free himself, but he couldn't move.

He could do nothing but bow his head as much as the vine around his neck would let him, shut his eyes, and feel like he had failed. Lhikan who counted on him and the others to save the Matoran, the other Toa Metru who looked to him as their leader, Matau who pleaded to him to save him, and, most of all, himself for failing as a Toa. The feeling itself was nearly suffocating; he could barely breathe. Darcius, meanwhile, laughed at the Toa's despair and waited for the splashing sound of the little one's doom, and waited, and waited. A confused frown soon formed on his face. Matau should've hit the lava by now, so where was the splash? He peered over the edge only to be knocked to the ground by an upper-cut. Groaning, he felt his jaw and looked back to a sight that made him gasp. It was Kit, hovering in the air via her rocket pack, with Matau, safe and sound, in her arm. As she landed, she let out a raspberry and used an index finger to pull down her lower eyelid, all for Darcius.

"How?" was all he could think to ask.

"Simple," Kit replied, "once I regained consciousness and saw what you were up to, I stuck to the shadows and waited down in the canyon."

Turning to Vakama, Kit used small energy balls to free him. Darcius then released his bolts, but Vakama grabbed the two and leapt back, dodging the attack. Hearing someone call to them, the three turned to find the rest of the Toa Metru heading for them. Darcius shimmered across the gap and attacked again. Kit confronted him and the two exchanged attack after attack after attack. Soon, the Toa noticed that the both of them looked tired, but neither was willing to give in to the other.

"I could still . . . call for my beasts you know," Darcius panted, "and . . . they'll tear . . . both you and your friends . . . to shreds."

"Not . . . gonna happen," Kit replied defiantly.

Darcius then called upon all of his remaining strength to launch another attack, but Kit dodged, leaping into the air. She twisted and sent Darcius to the ground with a powered-up sidekick. He just barely skidded to a stop at the edge and struggled to get up. "As my friend the Terminator once said," Kit said as she aimed a gun-hand at him just as he managed to find his feet, then continued, "'Asta la vista, baby,'" in the best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice she could muster. The narrow energy beam streaked out and struck Darcius' chest.

With a pained cry, he clutched it as he leaned over the canyon. As the force of the hit made him fall, he recalled the crystal Kit mentioned. The crystal, of course. It had to be the source of her powers, and, if she were separated from it, she would've been powerless. 'Why didn't I grab it when I had the chance?' he wondered as he fell. Then, he closed his eyes and knew no more.

The Toa looked over the ridge, but there was nothing but the river of lava. "I don't believe it," said Onewa. "You defeated him." Kit's shaking head, however, countered the Toa's belief of victory.

"I'm afraid he's not dead, unfortunately."

Before anyone could ask how she could be so sure, Whenua remembered, "That's right. If you encountered him in the future, then that must mean . . ."

Kit nodded as her clothes returned to normal, "I don't know how, but somehow he must've survived that and was recuperating the whole time."

It was then that Matau remembered he was still a Matoran. "Hey, Kit, do you still have my power-orb?" Kit summoned the green orb, then just gazed at it. "What's bad-wrong?" asked Matau.

"I don't know about this," she responded.

There was a short pause as the Toa and Matau looked in confusion. What was she unsure about? Then, she continued. "See, we've been so focused on getting you guys back to normal that I've forgotten that you guys actually looked kinda cute as Matoran." Mostly everyone blushed while Onewa didn't know what to think of the comment and Nuju had this slightly embarrassed look on his mask. "Anywho," said Kit, "with that said, seeing as Matau's the only one still a Matoran . . . I think I'll just keep the orb and leave him that way."

"Wha--" said Matau, his mouth practically dropping while the others just stared wide-eyed.

Kit burst out laughing and patted the Matoran's head, assuring him and the Toa that she was only joking. And so, with the green orb already charged up, she handed it to Matau and, in less than a minute, he was back to being a Toa. Now, they all wondered, how were they going to get out of there?

Suddenly, Whenua stiffened and looked around nervously. Vakama noticed, "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you guys just feel the earth shake?" asked the Toa of Earth.

As if in answer, the ground underneath Nuju's feet crumbled away, taking him with it. Thankfully, he had thought to grab a ledge in the rock. Turned out it was a good thing he did, for down below flames erupted to life. "Somebody!" he shouted over the roaring fire, the smoke making him cough a little. He heard Nokama's voice telling him to hang on and the next thing he knew, her hand grabbed hold of his wrist. Grabbing hold of hers, he was hoisted up to safety.

However, soon after, the same thing happened to Onewa and Vakama grabbed his hand. The Toa of Stone nearly took the Fire Toa with him into the pit, but Vakama somehow managed to hang on and haul his brother Toa up. "We have to get out of here!" he said.

They were about to move when Kit found herself victim to the crumbling floor as well. She grunted when Whenua caught her by the back of her shirt and, instinctively and fearfully, she kicked her legs. The Toa of Earth struggled to hang on to the panicked child; it was like trying to handle a Rahi that wanted to be free. "Kit, stop kicking," the Earth Toa said, "you're slipping out of my hand." Immediately, Kit calmed down and Whenua pulled her up. The rest of the floor soon collapsed into the fire pit below, forcing the team to onto a far ledge that had a drop so far down, they couldn't see the bottom. Then, the cavern started shaking violently.

"What's happening?" questioned Nokama.

"Earthquake!" Matau shouted over the tremors.

"No, worse," Kit corrected. "With Darcius gone, the cavern's falling apart. And, apparently, he left some surprises."

With them trapped on all sides and with nowhere to run or hide, the Toa of Earth and Stone tried to use their elemental powers to shield the others, but they only postponed the inevitable. "_Go over the edge_!" a warped voice said in Kit's mind, a voice she recognized as Tehreisha's.

At first, Kit thought the Guardian was crazy, and yet, somehow, she figured that she must know of something they didn't. The trick, however, would be convincing the Toa Metru. Calling for their attention above the smashing and crashing of the collapsing cavern, she told them to jump off the ledge.

"Are you crazy?" Onewa asked. "If we go over this ledge, we're dead."

"And, if we stay here, we're dead," Kit retorted. "Besides, I've got a feeling that, somehow, we'll be ok. But, someone might have to hold onto Onewa, just in case."

As much as the other Toa Metru wanted to argue, they all agreed this wasn't the time or place. Also, something in Kit's voice sounded sincere, as if she a good idea of what she was doing. And so, they all jumped just as the last part of the ground deteriorated, Whenua grabbing hold of Onewa's hand as they fell. The last thing they all remembered was hitting something with a splash and being swept away by a powerful current.

* * *

In another part of the underground tunnels, far from Darcius' chosen base, seven figures lay strewn across the bank of a subterranean river, six Toa Metru and one human girl. Nuju was the first to stir and the others soon woke up, as well. "How did we get here?" asked Vakama.

"The river carried us downstream to safety," answered Nokama.

Whenua looked to Kit, "How did you know this river was there?"

"I didn't," the girl replied, and told them about her telepathic message from Tehreisha, who must've known about its existence.

"So, back to travel-journeyin' back to Metru Nui," commented Matau, and the team did just that.

* * *

In the present, Vakama stood on a beach, looking out toward the horizon, feeling both relieved and stressed at the same time. About three days ago, he received word that Onewa and Matau had fully recovered and were still Turaga. Apparently, according to history, he, the other Toa Metru, and Kit were successful at getting those two back to normal. Unfortunately, this also meant it was getting closer to the time when he'd share another tale of the City of Legends; a tale so dark and treacherous he wished he could just forget it, drive it out of his mind. Still, he made a promise to the Toa Nuva that he'd tell them more. On top of that, he had learned not too long ago that, sometimes, not telling someone about something so dangerous was just putting them in even more danger than if they did know about it. 'Playing with fire and knowing you are and playing with fire _without_ knowing it are two very different things,' he recalled Kit once describing it, which he had to admit, was a very good point. Suddenly, he heard some angry-sounding chirps and whistles behind him. It was Turaga Nuju, and he had a very good idea of what the Turaga of Ice was 'shouting' about.


End file.
